Mrs Williams (pictured below), herself a member of the Church of England's governing body - General Synod - said: "Biblically-faithful Christians should not try to read the bishops' update as an orthodox statement.

"That would be to miss what these words actually communicate to those who read it - particularly those outside the Church."

Earlier this week, the House of Bishops - one of three houses incorporating the General Synod - said it would not prepare new liturgy to mark gender transition but existing liturgy could be adopted for such a purpose.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the bishops said: "If the enquirer [a person wanting their gender transition recognised by the Church] is already baptized and confirmed, the House notes that the Affirmation of Baptismal Faith, found in Common Worship, is an ideal liturgical rite which trans people can use to mark this moment of personal renewal."

Commenting on the document, the Bishop of Norwich, Rt Rev Graham James, added: "The Church of England welcomes transgender people and wholeheartedly wishes for them to be included in the life of the Church."

But Andrea Williams, who founded the Christian Concern campaign group, responded: "The statement makes it clearer than ever that the Church of England has fully capitulated to the transgender ideology sweeping through our society."

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